Shadow of Mareth
by Commander Sky
Summary: A Corruption of Champions story. The time of relative peace has ended on the Human World. For decades, the demons have been ravaging towns and cities, taking prisoners and slaves back to their realm called Mareth. The young assassin, Argus, is chosen to venture in the Demon World and, even being the best inside his guild, he knew this trip would be challenging and possibly deadly.
1. Chosen

**This fic is inspired by the text based game Corruption of Champions, made by Fenoxo and his dev team. I'm going to take a more serious route instead of what is seen in the game since I like to be realistic in my stories. And come on, altough CoC has a great plot, it puts lots of effort on the sex scenes instead of actual combats which is understandable considering its category.**

**As I said, here, I intend to take a more serious approach to the story, also with some originalities here and there to make it more interesting and so on. Of course, this doesn't take the possible sex/rape scenes out of the equation as it is a customary act for the demons of this game.**

**Without further ado, I hope you enjoy what you see!**

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The skies rumbled ominously as the dark stormy clouds spread across it at a slow rate , going farther and farther across the landscape as if it was a plague. Thunder echoed harshly and lightning illuminated the dark night sky brightly every few minutes in a deadly display of nature's devastating might. The trees were harshly agitated because of the strong wind, making a few weaker trees lose their footing on the land and be dragged to another place. The storm kept increasing in magnitude without a sign of stopping any time soon as it covered more and more of the vicinity , and was starting to reach the small village of Nixtorm.

However, the loud and frightening noises outside weren't able to scare Argus as he waited for the Elder of the village to start his new mission; one that would be so dangerous that he might not be able to see his own world ever again, though he didn't know that. But he was prepared for this since he had been trained for nearly 16 years to master the arts of assassination and magic. He was the best from what the famous Assassin's Guild could provide for the job. He was feral in combat, but controlled, calculating and most importantly ice-cold. He was proficient in swordmanship, archery and in the use of illusion and dark magic to assist him any number of dangerous situations which required stealth and covert kills. And it was the completion of those missions that escalated his ascension to the rank of Master Assassin inside the Guild, and so, to say he wasn't qualified to this one would be a sore mistake.

Argus was young man by the age of 23. He was about 1.82 meters tall, with decent waistline and visible muscles. He had light skin, his face was somewhat masculine with an angular jawline, he had a medium-sized spiked gray hair and yellow penetrating eyes. As for his clothes, he was wearing the traditional Master Assassin attire, a darkish combat robe with a cloak about half of his size and a hood to cover his face. It also came with a chest, arm and leg pieces of darkish leather armor. Carried on him were his bathed-in-black Vulom, a light knight sword, a couple of sharp daggers and a black bow and his supply of arrows.

At the moment, he was inside of Ognor's humble house as he was having a light-hearted conversation with the Elder. The old man had been a good friend to Argus until he was chosen to be schooled at the Assassin's Guild by a passing mentor. After all, it had been almost 16 years since the junior had been away from his home village...

"You Assassins and your fondness for things in black is something I will never understand. I know for a fact that your robe helps with your much needed camouflage in dusk operations, but I can sympatize with the commoners' fear for your kind. If people didn't know of your loyalty towards our king, you would be quickly branded as agents of the Demons!" He laughed as he took a sip of his tea, but an air of truth in his words. Indeed, there was a grand fear among the common people about the rumors that have been spreading about the ferocity the Assassins conducted when in action (although it was extremely rare for one to even see them around). The only hint about their doings were the blood marks of their dead targets...

Argus joined in after a sip of the tea that Ognor prepared for him. "You know how the commoners are, Elder. They fear everything that is out of their league and given the training the Assassins undergo to be fully recognized as one, it's understandable why." Of course, the Guild's training was the harshest a human could handle these days. The purpose of it was to create the deadliest and the most intelligent machines ever made for war. Many called the king paranoid for founding this organization, but they were the reason the kingdom was still a safe place to live yet today.

The Elder gave an approving nod. "Indeed, I pity the enemies who you faced since you were made into their ranks."

"A great friend of mine in the Guild once said, 'Pity is the most agreeable feeling among those who have little pride and no prospects of great conquests.'. And since our leader liked the quote so much, it was made as our reminder phrase." After some silence, taking aside the constant thunder outside the house, Argus spoke again. "But I take it that my presence here is not to simply talk about the days of old or other things, am I correct?

Now, Ognor eyed the young man a bit more seriously and didn't speak until he drank all of his tea. "The reason I called you, Argus, for this emergency meeting is because I have a mission that I fear you may be the only one who can accomplish it at present. I didn't speak of it in the letter I sent to you, because it is of the most important secrecy that it remains hidden from prying eyes."

This caught Argus' attention. "I am listening."

"Are you familiar with the ancient myths about a realm called Mareth?" To which Argus nodded. It was an old legend that Argus heard when he was still a 10 years old student of the Guild. It was said that, during ancient times, the humans of this world were connected by portals to another realm called Mareth, which was the home for a lot of different types of creatures. It was also said that they had civilizations of their own and some of them occasionally would come to the Human World for trade. Unfortunately, that's all he knew about it.

The Elder continued. "Well my boy, I can safely say that those myths are indeed true. However, for three centuries, those creatures that live there have stopped coming to our realm to trade for no apparent reason. It is as if they simply disappeared." But before he continued even further, he could see the skeptical yellow eyes judging the truth of his words.

"Are you sure those legends truly exist, Elder? And IF they really do, why didn't some of those creatures stay in our realm to be presented as evidences of such claim?"

"Because there was complete mistrust between us and those races and so much that only a handful of them were courageous enough to venture in our lands. They never stayed for long or had any intentions to set business here, so when their roles were accomplished, they returned to their home. Well, that stopped three centuries when none ever dared to come to us, like I said."

"Is this related to the Demon sightings around the kingdom?" Argus asked.

"I am afraid so. Roughly two centuries, rumors began to circulate about horrible creatures being seen by commoners on their day-to-day lives, but it took another century for them to be real problem to us. Since then, the Elders of the villages nearby a portal have been secretly instructed by the king himself and his predecessors to select the best of the best in order to investigate whatever has happened to Mareth and eradicate the evil responsible for this. We did not want any random citizen knowing the location of the portals in order to protect them from further corruption of the Demons. However, it has been quite some time since the heroes we sent before never returned, só we can only assume the worst happened to them." Then Ognor eyed the young man in front of him. "I may not have seen you for those 16 years, Argus, but that did not mean I was not aware of how you were doing inside the Guild. Your Guildmaster always sent me letters about your perfomances during trainings or missions and always gave praise to them. They made me realize that perhaps you are the next Champion to continue our quest to free Mareth of this evil."

"Something tells me that this must have been planned a long time ago." Argus remarked.

"And it has. You are to be Humanity's next Champion, destined to save both of our worlds from whatever evil that has planted its roots on Mareth. Your Guildmaster has already agreed to my terms and have already given you permission to proceed with your new assignment. Also, I was instructed to show you the way to Mareth from this village as soon as you received the details of your new mission. So, we must leave at once." As Ognor finished, he grabbed a robe from his dresser and montioned Argus to follow him outside. The old man never gave him time to complain about the weather.

Hastily, Argus mounted his horse that left on the stable next to the Elder's house and followed the old man on his own horse through the road that led to a forest located at the southeast of Nixtorm, while ignoring the violent lightning at the sky.

The ride through the forest was peaceful and silent. For a good moment, both companions didn't speak to each other as they were focused their own thoughts. Argus, for one, was utterly surprised at how his briefing had been since a lot of information had been presented to him at the same time, which left him with no free time to fully process it. All he understood was that he had to venture to this Mareth, where only God knows where, and stop an evil that is already threatening this world. It was a lot of responsability for just one man, he thought, and he didn't even know how or where to start in any way. Although the Guild had taught him to never refuse a critical assignment, he wished he could be presented with more information or at least some preparations.

And since the Elder seemed to be the most knowledgable person around, he had to get those if he wanted some chances to survive in a foreign terrain.

"Elder, what should I expect when I am in Mareth?" Argus asked curiously.

Ognor turned his head slightly to face him. "I can only offer three advices that will most certainly help you out there in Mareth. One, never trust a single alchemy product you find with a demon or made by them; two, never give in to lust since it seems to be the Demons' highly praised weapon against their victims; and three, distrust is your key to survival. We have not sent any scouts parties to Mareth since the Demons' apparent domination, so I fear I cannot provide you proper preparations. I am sorry, lad, but time is of the essence."

Argus waved cordially indicating that he understood his reasons. "No problem, Elder. It is good enough for a start." But still he will need to gather some intelligence from the locals if he was to have a better understanding of what was happening around there.

"By the way, do they speak our language?" He asked when that question bugged his mind.

"Hmm, ancient texts said they could speak the same language as ours. So, I am willing to bet they still do today." Silence dominated the two for a time while they traversed the forest. Until they finally arrived at the portal. "Well, here we are."

"So this is the portal..." Argus said as he marveled the sight before him. The whole structure seemed to be really ancient and have a flow of magic unlike anything he had seen so far. The portal was circular in shape and it was supported by two cavities which were responsible for making it float a bit above the ground.

Argus could already feel the strange magic begin to travel through his body, as if it was inviting him to give in to temptation. But he knew better, thanks to Elder Ognor's advices. He quickly set aside the strange feeling he was getting and focused on the old man again.

Words weren't spoken right there. The Elder only gave a brief nod to indicate he can proceed. With a nod back, Argus dismounted his horse and walked to the portal until he was mere steps away from it. The magic continued to entice his mind to give in to temptation, but he quickly resisted the urge.

With a determined expression. On his face, Argus finally entered the portal with Elder Ognor silently bidding him the best fortune.

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**Sorry if the ending of the chapter seemed a bit rushed. I finished this past midnight and was itching for a good sleep...**

**Anyway, just a bit of a warning for those who got used to the game. I plan to make several changes that you will possibly find it strange at first sight, but I can assure you that will spike your interest. Sorry if I can't tell you more, but that would spoil the surprise!**

**Also, for Assassin's Creed fans, no. The Assassin's Guild isn't related to the Brotherhood! I'm sure you can find the differences in this chapter!**

**Thanks for taking your time to read this!**


	2. A Tour in the Florest

**Alright, here comes Chapter 2!**

**As I said before, there are things here falls outside the original plot of Fenoxo's Corruption of Champions. They are my tries to keep the story as original as I can...**

**Happy Reading!**

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"Grrr... Agh..." Argus groaned as he diverted a far bit of his strength to stabilize his blurry mind and get up on his feet. For a moment, he didn't remember what caused him to fall in unconscious state but he soon did as he whirled around to find the portal behind him. It seemed the travel inside it had been too much for him to bear, even with his considerable training in durability. He wondered how much time he has been sleeping since he has gotten to this place…

However, he knew such questions should be left for another time as he had more important business to worry at the moment. First, he took a look around and found out he was in the middle of a wasteland; the ground and the sky tainted with different shades of red although the earth beneath his feet seemed to be as normal as the Human World's. Still, the scene was recognizable as nighttime.

Despite the slight feeling of tiredness and the sudden begging of his legs for a quick nap, Argus decided to get moving. To the east of his position, he could depict what seemed to be a faint green line of a forest at the horizon, so he began taking steps towards that direction.

"Where there was a forest, there is food source…" He recalled his master teachings during his survival trainings. While it has been years since he was out of apprenticeship, he never forgot those lessons. He wondered what kind of wild animals he would find there to suit his growing hunger.

While he was walking, he checked if he had every equipment he brought before stepping into the portal. He was glad he hadn't missed anything after coming out of there, especially when he considered his Vulom. Argus crafted that sword himself and he was very fond of it. It was made of quicksilver, a metal so rare in the kingdom that only the nobleman had the money to buy a single batch of it, which he was able to find in one of scouting missions. When the thing was finally made, he bathed it in black to give it a more intimidating and stealthy appeal as customary in the Assassin's Guild. The blade never seemed to disappoint him when used in action.

However, while he was getting everything accounted for, he failed to notice a presence following him closely from behind. It was only when it was too close that his senses snapped to attention and quickly drew his Vulom to face the aggressor.

Disgust dominated his face when he began to observe the being in front of him. It was clearly a demon, an imp to be precise by the looks of its incredibly thin and small winged body. It was holding a strange purple vial of sorts on his left hand while its manhood pulsed between his spindly legs.

_Of all things I get to encounter in my missions, I have to meet a sex-drive demon!_ His mind shouted at the scene before him. Still, he made no effort to eradicate any unnecessary thoughts and focus solely on the demon ahead, as instructed by Elder Ognor.

"A new human coming to this marvelous world, eh? Just by look at the gear you are carrying, it is enough to say that you are also the new Champion. Which makes my business all the more interesting…" The demon smirked evilly at him, obviously making some sort of a plan to deal with Argus.

The human assassin frowned, but said no word as response. The demon continued. "You know, the previous Champion, a woman for your information, didn't prove hard to seduce with my 'charms'. She became my slave and pet soon after that. It's unfortunate that she didn't rise to my expectations, so I had to end her life. You, however, seem to be of an interesting sort, that much I can tell."

Argus huffed at the notion of him made a slave. "You seem to forget, demon, that I have a sword while you do not."

Still, it seemed unfazed by the remark. "True, but I bet you won't be able to control your urges soon enough, like the previous Champion. Face it, you will get out of here with me being your master."

"I wouldn't be sure of that." With a quick jog and a rapid sweep of his Volum, Argus struck its arm with deadly efficiency. The demon didn't even see it coming.

It arched its body and shouted in pain as it grabbed its now bleeding shoulder, detached of its arm. "H-how? How can you withstand the magic of lust this world produce? You were supposed to be on my feet by now!"

"I'm different from the other Champions. I was trained to resist any type of growing emotion or desire. My mission takes precedency above everything else. And now, I'm afraid you won't be able to make out of here alive." Argus said as he approached the demon again, this time at slower rate.

The demon cowered in fear. "N-no, no! P-please, don't k-kill me!"

"Unless you give valuable information about your master, I will consider letting you go."

Its eyes widened in surprise. "What? You seriously expect me to betray my master? I will die if I do that!"

"A shame then." Then, with another sweep, Argus struck the demon again, this time on the neck, as Vulom cut it effortlessly. With a heavy torrent of blood, the head rolled a meter and a half away from its downed and lifeless body.

He regarded the form at his feet for a moment while he cleaned the blood marks on his sword. "Either way, I wasn't planning to let you live anyway. Can't let your boss know that I'm coming for him or her."

With that, Argus continued his way towards the forest without any more disturbances.

Arriving there, the close sight of the forest left him with a sudden bad feeling on his mind. While it seemed particularly similar to the ones he frequently dealt with on the Human World, this one was very old-looking. The trees seemed to be of centuries, if not millennia, old and came in various shapes so erratic that covered the forest with dense foliage that barely allowed of whatever light.

And since it was evening already, it was quite difficult to see with the darkness around. Fortunately, Argus had come prepared for situations like that. During one of his magical trainings, he was able to learn a spell which allowed him to summon a ball of light capable of illuminating the darkest of places while it floated and followed above the user's body. It was quite useful in explorations like this.

And with exactly an open hand and two words, he did just that.

"_Lumen Sectator!_"

After the conjuration, light began to converge on the center of his right hand as it increased gradually in intensity. With the ball fully made, he gave a weak wave upwards to send it to stay above a few centimeters of his head where it would follow him without fail. The only downside of the spell, however, was that it wasn't able to endure for long as the magic light was supposed to dissipate after three minutes. There were alternative spells which could do the same thing, but they were rather too mana consuming compared to this one. Besides, Argus already got used to the routine of reigniting the ball whenever it dissipated.

Now that he had a wide range of illumination, he could proceed further in the forest.

But it took another half hour of uneventful exploration for things to get interesting once again. In a clearing not so far from where he entered the forest, he stumbled into a battle between two individuals. Luckily, he had cancelled his light magic just in time as his sharpened senses captured the sounds from afar. As he hid inside a bush, he took in the visual of the small battlefield. Despite the darkness, Argus could notice one of the figures was human-like in shape but some parts of its body were odd for a normal human since it had big round ears and a long thin tail which kind of reminded a mouse. The other one was very much like jaguar-like and, apparently, its fur was black in color since it could easily camouflage with the environment. However, this last particular being was giving off several torrents of green colored magical flames around its body which made it a considerable threat if it ever spotted Argus.

He heard a loud growl coming from the feline creature, which quickly turned a full sprint towards the mouse. The latter prepared his wooden staff.

"I will never surrender myself to corruption!" It replied bravely as he, as the voiced indicated, quickly spun around the staff and hit the jaguar square in the belly, but the thing quickly recovered and slashed his claws onto one of his opponent arms. The mouse gave a quick shriek of pain before concentrating on his enemy again.

The feline let out another growl and used his magic to launch a greenish fireball from its mouth. While the mouse was able to barely dodge the attack, the explosion was so strong that sent him flying meters away from his previous position due to the shockwaves, knocking him down flat on the ground with a few bruises.

The demon now walked up to his opponent as it raised its right claw for a final strike. His defeated opponent eyed it defiantly.

"Death is a better fate instead of being a pet slave to scourges like you, Akbal!" The mouse groaned as he tried to get up, but obviously in vain as Argus noticed his body's denial to move due to the shock suffered from the explosion.

The feline let out a disappointed huff and went on to rip his enemy's heart out. The mouse shut his eyes as he waited for his inevitable end. Moments passed and it never came, aside a shout of pain coming from the God above him.

Instantly, he rolled away from Akbal while he was distracted trying to take an arrow off his left leg joint. Clearly confused, the mouse began to survey around to find his possible rescuer but the effort came in vain as the darkness of the forest prevented him from seeing it. However, even with the camouflage provided by dark night, he could smell clearly the new scent coming from a few yards away, at the southwest edge of the clearing. It was only a few moments later that a second blur of a passing arrow found its target on one of Akbal's ribs and soon after, the individual who fired it came out of hiding wielding a pitch-black sword.

Now that the being up close, the monk could see the being clearly. It was dressed in dark armored robe with a cloak wagging to the occasional wind blow and it carried two visible daggers on his chest mail and his also pitch-black bow and quiver to stock his arrows. Much of its head wasn't recognizable aside from its clearly fair skin and grayish hair.

Argus was already in full battle stance as he noticed the feline creature had taken out the arrows from his body and directed its rage towards him. The jaguar was giving off an incredible burst of green flames all around his body as a result, but Argus wasn't fazed by sudden act of intimidation.

Akbal roared in anger as he brushed one of his paws on the blood-leaking rib. _"You dare to hurt a GOD, human!?"_

The monk was surprised at the demon' statement, but he was indeed right. He mentally slapped himself for not recognizing the scent earlier. _It seems that the Human World sent another Champion…_ The monk concluded thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, Argus took notice of the purplish blood on the demon's hands while ignoring his astonishment at hearing the creature's voice in his mind. It was deep and male and it was obviously pissed. This guy was clearly more dangerous than he expected since he can use psychic abilities and knowing a fight between him and the beast was quite imminent, he decided to resort to one of the basic strategies when coming up against a foe stronger than him. "Then it's really strange, don't you think?" Akbal's expression changed into mild confusion. "As far as I know from myths and all, gods are supposed to be invulnerable to any kind of damage. And, you are clearly leaking blood from that wound on your rib which evidently shows signs of mortal weakness. You are not a God, demon. Just another psycho."

That stunt made Akbal all the more furious at Argus and began to flare an even stronger burst of green flames, just like what the human intended.

"_You will die for this insult!"_ Akbal charged with a flurry of green firebolts, to which Argus effortlessly dodged, and quickly closed the distance with series of quick slashes to make his opponent lose his balance. But much to his annoyance, the human was able to sidestep every single claw attack without even dropping a sweat in the process. Then he tried a fireball attack just like he did with the mouse.

But, before it could hit the human,

"_Obscurari._"

He vanished out of thin air.

Like Akbal, the mouse was flabbergasted at seeing such magic being used. Both surveyed the area as they tried to locate the human warrior, but neither of them could find a single trace of him. Akbal in particularly was using his mind to reach the human's in order to locate him. He knew it was there among the clearing, but that strange magic seemed to effectively mask both his psychic and physical presence like if he was in the middle of a fog. Even his scent seemed to have disappeared…

That was until the mouse noticed the human silently reappearing behind the jaguar demon, with his sword in piercing stance. The next few moments became really bloody.

After disabling his magic, Argus pierced his Vulom into the beast's upper body where he thought it was located the heart. In a cry of pain, Akbal arched his entire body back until he was only supported by his hind paws which lost its balance seconds later as he fell in a loud thud. Purplish blood slowly created a pool under him as it gradually escaped the now-dead jaguar demon.

After cleaning the blood stain on his Vulom and having it sheathed, Argus went to the mouse which was completely dumbstruck at the whole killing ordeal. Now that he had a good opportunity to take a good look at him, he notices that the mouse is dressed in simple garbs reminiscent of a monk. A light-blue robe covers his flat chest, tied with a simple sash around his waist. His pants, similar to his robes, fit him snugly as well. The only things he carries are a necklace made of blue beads and the wooden staff he used to battle Akbal.

"Are you okay?" Argus asked showing mild concern.

The mouse broke out from his trance and snapped his head so quickly towards him that Argus almost flinched back.

"Oh sorry, I'm still trying to digest everything that has transpired here." Argus offered him his hand so he could get up. Although the mouse's build was lithe, he didn't seem weak at all. His handshake is firm and transmits confidence; it's clear that this mouse has trained well, though you can't see any hint of muscles with his robes covering him. His hair was short and as white as his fur and his eyes were brown. "If it had not been for you, stranger, I would be lying here with probably my head taken off. But where are my manners? My name is Jojo, a monk from the Order of the Celestial Lotus." For a moment, he averts his glare and saddens. "Or I should say former Order of the Celestial Lotus…"

Argus quickly senses a dark past in the monk's history but refrain himself from pursuing the topic to sate his curiosity. Probably something for calmer times...

So, he quickly changed the subject. "Name's Argus. What are you doing in the middle of this forest armed only with a wooden staff?"

Jojo sighed. "As a monk, I tend to meditate a lot in order to restore control over myself against the taints of this world. You see that trunk over there?" He pointed a trunk cut about a meter and a half above ground level. "I became quite fond of doing my sessions there. Usually, this part of the forest is peaceful at night in a way which I can safely meditate without being interrupted. Well, until Akbal appeared today. He claimed in telepathy that I was trespassing into his territory, but I never knew that until today. I asked for forgiveness, but he did not listen while stating that only submission would be my exit way out of the forest. I fought him for more than fifteen minutes but his magic was too powerful to handle. Beyond, you know already."

Argus nods in understanding but before he could ask further questions, Jojo asks his own. "You are one of the Champions the Human World sends to Mareth nowadays, right?"

He nods again and Jojo continues. "I thought you would be. Given the power you demonstrated in this short battle, it is clear that came to save Mareth from the taint the demons have spread here."

"Well, not only this world but mine too." Argus quickly adds. "There have been reports of demons bringing humans to this realm and our leaders felt they would become a real danger to our world soon. So, I was chosen to become the Champion in order to stop them by reaching their source, whatever that is." Perhaps the monk knew the answer to that question, he thought.

Jojo hummed as he travelled in his own mind while taking in the information. "I am afraid I do not have a response to that, Argus. All I have known is that those filthy demons has practically dominated this world, but I never came up with an information related to the beginning of all this." He notices the disappointed sigh from Argus. "However, I know a way where you might get your answer."

The human perked up at that. "I'm listening."

"I know of a city located at the desert, northwest of here. It is called Tel'Adre, one of the few cities that did not end up being corrupted by the demons. Well, at least not yet. There, I am sure you will find the information you need since it became the central hub for adventurers like you."

Argus pondered about the idea. Yes, it seemed to be the most plausible idea to follow at the moment since he still needed details about what exactly he was facing here. With an appreciated nod, he turns to leave.

But Jojo stop him dead in his tracks as he grabbed the man's right arm. Argus frowned at the sudden act and turned to face him once again while his penetrating yellow eyes locked with the mouse's gaze, demanding the meaning behind the stunt.

"Do you even know the way to Tel'Adre from this forest?" Jojo asks, but already knowing the answer. Argus sighs in annoyance, clearly disturbed about his recklessness. He hadn't thought about that.

"I supposed not." He finally said.

"I have there a few times when I was still with the Lotus so I know the way to reach there. If you allow me to travel with you, I can show it to you. It is the least I can do to repay for helping me out against Akbal." Jojo proposed as he soon began to remain silently waiting for the human's response.

Argus crossed his arms and gave it a thought. The offer seemed quite tempting to be honest, he thought, since he didn't know where to go from this maze-like forest and the guidance could be very much appreciated. But the words of Elder Ognor still came to his mind before he stepped into this whole mess: _Mistrust is the key to survival_. Even if this monk was an enemy to the demons, that didn't mean that Argus would go soft on him. No, if he was coming with him, he will need to be watched.

Still, it was better to have a local as your ally than nothing at all. "Alright, you can come with me."

Jojo bowed his head. "Thank you, Argus. I would also like to offer my skills in combat, in case we meet disturbances in our path. I was trained heavily in martial arts and white magic by the Lotus as a way to defend myself and others from the demons, so do not worry if you think that we will become a burden to your mission. I know how to handle myself." He spoke confidently.

Argus shrugged. "If you say so. Well, where do we go then?"

"First," He began as he picked his wooden staff, "we are going to need supplies before we venture into the desert. The journey to Tel'Adre can be an arduous one if you are not careful with your directions. So, we are going to the lake not so far to the north of here. There is a farm there where we can get food, water and seeing that you do not have any camp equipment, you will probably want that too for our breaks."

Argus sighed at that. If it hadn't been for Elder Ognor's "time is of the essence" ordeal, he would have come to this place fully prepared. But he quickly dismissed the issue since it was about to be solved anyway.

Then he broke out of his thoughts when he noticed Jojo passing next to him only to stop and turn to him. "Shall we go then?" He said with a recognizable eagerness in his voice.

With a nod, Argus began to follow him from behind towards his new objective. And at the same time, watching his new "friend" for any funny acts.

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**Yeah, as you can see, the whole idea going off and back to camp is totally abolished here. I know that inside the original plot there is this memory magic as you can cover great distances just by teleporting with your memories of said place. Let's face it: that's BULLSHIT! Interesting, but bullshit (sorry Fenoxo). So I'm going to the traditional road of long feet travels to be more realistic around here.**

**Also, the followers will play an active part in Argus' mission instead of just sitting around and doing nothing important at camp.**

**So far, that's all I have to note!**

**See you next time!**


	3. Queen of the Peppers

**_Miruto21: Thank you for the vote of confidence, I really appreciate as a writer. Yes, I have designed Argus to be tough guy who knows it all when it comes to warfare. But, since he is an assassin, he isn't used to work on groups like one expects when inside a guild like of the Assassin's. So he has a tendency to mistrust anyone that can be potential threat to him and his mission..._**

* * *

"And that's how I ended up here."

Almost two hours and a half had passed since the encounter of the now two journeymen at the clearing where they fought Akbal, the deceased False-God of the Terrestrial Fire. They were now at the northern edge of the forest which overlooked a huge purplish lake only two kilometers away from them. In the distance, they could see perfectly the small form of their current destination: the farm. While they walked until their stop, Jojo presented details at what Argus should expect when facing its habitants. The farm itself was owned by a dog-morph girl named Whitney which planted peppers. However, as Jojo went on, Argus never expected the monk to unveil a little astounding detail that sent the human in a skeptical state. It was said that Whitney's peppers were capable of turning oneself into a dog-morph just like she was. At first, he thought the mouse was only playing some stupid prank to try to break the awkward silence they had been in the first twenty minutes of their journey, but he spoke with much certainty in his facial expression that made the human rethink. Jojo had sensed his disbelief just by staring him and quickly added that there were other types of food equally capable of doing the same thing except that they could transform into other animal species that Argus knew from the Human World. The human didn't even try to argue back by claiming to be some kind of unknown sorcery since he just arrived at this strange world roughly four hours ago, so he deduced that it was bound by a different set of rules. Still, this new piece of information was quite... disturbing, for lack of a better word.

Anyway, the two companions had set up a temporary bonfire to eat some of the food that Jojo has been carrying in his bag. Argus was mildly disappointed when he noticed that the content was all about vegetarian food, ranging from a few leaves of spinach, pieces of carrots, apples and several other fruits and a jug made of clay which contained tea. While the monk was preparing the meal, he inquired the human about how he had come to Mareth. The conversation went quite in a pleasant way, although Argus felt the need to protect classified details about his life as an assassin which included his Guild. So, he only let out that he was one of the many agents of his king, the best of them, since it was the truth at any point.

"You must quite skilled if your fight against Akbal is any indication. You humiliated and defeated like he was nothing to you." Jojo remarked. "Your mentors trained you well."

Argus bowed in genuine appreciation. "Thanks. My mentors were exceptional on what they did and they happened to be a little generous in sharing their knowledge with me." Well, he still had to thank the Guildmaster for making those arrangements. The man had always been a friend to him ever since he caught a glimpse of the boy's potential in the first two years of training and, like all teachers, he was very much pleased in seeing a student so absorbed in learning those arts.

The moment he finished his thinking, Argus was handed a cup of tea and some slices of fruits as Jojo continued to talk. "So, what was that magic you used back there? I have never seen anything like it in all my years as a monk."

"Oh, you mean the Cloak magic? It is an illusion magic which can reflect the light from a limited period of time, making the user virtually invisible. Don't magicians use this here?" The monk shook his head. Argus was confused at this. The Cloak magic was one of the most useful illusion spells an assassin could depend on as they were ideal for covert missions and stealth strikes, so he assumed the same principle worked here, if not by a different style or technique.

"I only heard myths of creatures that are capable of doing such feat here in Mareth. It is said that even one of those species resides deep inside this very same forest, though I did not have the fortune of meeting one of them. But officially speaking, there are two types of magic that are commonly known around here: white and black magic. Though I do not mind making an in-depth explanation about them, I will give you an overall one instead since it would take probably weeks to even describe a third what they really are." Jojo paused as he let Argus digest the information. Seconds later, he continued. "White Magic is the power drawn from your thoughts and soul and it is considered to be the most direct when it comes to getting rid of an enemy when in combat. Of course, that is not everything about it since you can do so much more than that. The same goes for Black Magic, though it requires more caution when the user cast the spells. Black Magic drawns its power from the emotions and feelings and if one is not in control with him or herself, it can be a potential gateway to corruption. And since it also affects the body, the demons often use it to arouse their victims before they submit to lust. That is how they have been so successful with their conquest of this world." He paused again.

And with it, Argus took the opportunity to ask a question. "So, it's like holy and dark magic? The context between them seems similar to these powers?"

Jojo shook his head. "No. Our Magic does not have prejudice against moral alignments, so even a demon can use White Magic if they want to. Of course, there are spells that can be considered of holy or dark nature in both of them. Is that how Human World magic works?"

"Well, we have different classifications of magic depending on what the user has an affinity with. Like I said, there are holy and dark magic. But there are also the elemental magic which controls the powers of nature, the illusion magic which uses the mind to trick the senses of others and the conjuration magic which can conjure avatars or spirits to aid you in your quests. However, that last one has its own moral alignment with holy and evil. For instance, there is the necromancy which is a part of Conjuration magic that revives the undead and if done recklessly, they could be potentially fatal." Necromancy, above all else, is a forbidden practice now that the Council of Magi has taken action against the threatening rise of necromancer numbers among the kingdom. As far as he had heard from the Guildmaster, they were being a torn on the king's shoes through complaint after another from villagers about sightings of ethereal skeletons and even monsters.

Jojo only nodded in understanding before he began to eat his meal while thought about the subject and left Argus to his own musings. A dead silence took over the camp as neither of them spoke a word as tbey devoured their respective food, which eventually became unnerving to Argus as he still had no idea concerning Jojo's past.

It was only fair if he shared his own now that the human did his. After a sip of his, Argus asked the question. "So what's your history, huh? I take it a monk like you has much to tell."

Sadness buried on Jojo's expression once again. It's noticeable that the mouse probably hadn't the best times before their meeting and Argus was kind enough to let it slide the subject in respect of his memories, but curiosity was bugging his mind and it wouldn't let go until it got its answer.

Fortunately, Jojo seemed to be more responsive this time as he looked to the landscape before them. "See it from here?"

"What?"

"My hometown. In ruins." He then pointed to the southwest side of the lake. The human followed the direction and narrowed to get a better view of what the mouse was trying to show him. Later, he noticed what seemed a pile of rubble.

"My sympathies." It was the best Argus could speak at that moment.

Jojo gave a sad smile. "Thank you. It is painful to me to speak of a past that has only brought sadness to my being and if it was not for my meditations, I would have probably died from depression months ago. Anyway, I feel you deserve to know more about the companion you are so careful about."

Argus narrowed his eyes at that. _How did he-_

As if reading the human's mind, the mouse continued. "Do you think I would not notice the stares you give me now and then, as if expecting some kind of sneak attack? I would not be honoring my training if I did not sense your reluctance towards me. But, well, considering the situation you are in as a Champion, I suppose it is understandable."

"Then you know I can't simply trust people right off the bat, especially beings from other worlds." Argus replied a bit sternly, already prepared for the worst.

"As I said, it is understandable. I would do the same if I were on your shoes. But I assure you. You have nothing to fear from me. After all, I have plenty of reasons to help on your quest against the demons. That town being one of them…" Even with his meditations, deep down in his soul, he wanted his revenge for the people he failed to protect. "But in time, I know I will earn your trust."

Argus felt a bit surprised at how calm the mouse handled the subject. Mostly, people that were a bit jumpy would have shout curses towards him whenever he had that kind of talk. He knew it because he does it every time when he was compelled to work in groups. He was taught that an assassin wasn't supposed give trust willingly. If given to the wrong person, the implications could get quite unpleasant. Especially if it concerned the Guild or even the kingdom as whole.

A splash of water breaks his train of thoughts before he eyes the monk dropping a bit of water at the fire. "Well, I still did not answer your question, did I?" Jojo gave a faint smile.

"Uh-huh, you didn't."

The mouse nodded as he collected his thoughts. "I come from that town over there as you have undoubtedly noticed. Its name was Belridge. Quite the peaceful town, you know? Most of the people of Belridge were either fishers or farmers with huge families that stayed near the village. There were a few hunters and a few craftsmen. We made enemies of no one and sought to do no harm to others." Jojo says, his smile growing a bit as he relived the memories.

"I grew up in a big family of 19 so when I was younger I was always the quiet one. I guess I was just introverted but being quiet meant that I did not always get a lot of attention. It did not bother me, quite the opposite actually, I enjoyed quiet introspection but with so many brothers and sisters it was next to impossible to get a quiet moment at home. So I would sneak out. My father understood but it drove my mother crazy. Whenever she noticed I had slipped away she would stop everything in the house and take my two oldest brothers to come find me. I never understood why it was such a big deal. We were in a small village near a prestigious monastery, we were safe. Parents let their kids go out and play and run and explore because everyone knew everyone but not my mom. She had to know where you were going, what you were doing and how long until you got back. I would have told her but saying I wanted to explore was not a satisfactory answer."

That last part made both chuckle, but Argus made no comments as he let the mouse continue.

"Whenever she found me, she would yell for a bit and then hold me close like she had just watched me dodge a charging rhinoceros. Whenever she asked why I did it, I just told her the truth, it was too loud and crowded at home. After a few weeks of this, she suggested a compromise. She said I could leave if I had one of my older brothers walk me to the temple and I stayed there where the clergy could see me and keep me safe and fed. Honestly, I think my dad came up with the idea, he was always good at compromising and keeping the peace. From there on, the temple became very important to me. I read about the world, I spoke to the clergy and I sat and thought. I was enraptured with learning but I did not want to be a priest, I still do not know why... I guess it just did not appeal to me. When I first saw the monks visiting the temple, it was like dawn breaking. After that, I waited until I was old enough to join and made the short pilgrimage to the Monastery of the Celestial Lotus."

"And that's when you became a monk?" Argus asked.

"Shortly after." Jojo replied, but quickly dismissed any chance of having further conversations about the subject as he began to stand up. "But that is for another time I am afraid. The sun is about to rise." He pointed to the eastern horizon as Argus followed his gaze.

The human was confused as to why that led him to make that remark. "So?"

"Whitney begins her work on the farm around this time of the days, so we should get going if we want to be on our way to Tel'Adre as soon as possible." The monk replied as he repacked his stuff.

"Alright. Lead the way then."

The edges of the huge farm began to be clear in view as the two companions neared it after, approximately, 23 minutes of walk. From what Argus could observe, this Whitney seemed to be a real lover of peppers as the fields were completely stuffed with that kind of plant and he could see a herd of cows off in distance, next to a reddish barn. The house per se was at the center of farm.

But before they could even open the gate that would let them in the camp, an arrow passed flying between the the duo which landed meters behind them. Not even Argus had time to react on it and bring his own arrow to retaliate at the sudden unknown hostility. He quickly dismissed the issue and began to ready the bow for a counterattack, however, Jojo stopped him there.

"No, do not bait him any further."

"Bait who?" Argus asked in confusion.

"Kelt. He is the centaur that protects the farm and he is quite proficient with the bow. Also, you should be prepared for his arrogant rant." Jojo said, earning a narrowed eye from the human. "He has a superiority complex."

"Not the most pleasant first-impression from this Whitney." Argus replied as he looked around for this Kelt. Well, not that he had to place effort on it since the centaur was already running towards their position. "Why does she have a person like that as a guard here?"

"Because she knows I'm the best when it comes to archery, you little motherfucker!"

Argus turned to the now close-approaching Kelt who seemed to have heard his little question. To say that his insult touched a nerve on Argus was an understatement.

"Kelt, you ought not to disturb my friend here with your insults." Jojo said, probably already feeling an imminent fight. One that he knew Whitney wouldn't forgive in her territory. "Watch your manners with the guests!"

He laughed mockingly at the monk. "Hah! I'll do that when weaklings stop coming here!"

"That can be arranged." Argus readied his bow and put an arrow locked in aim to the centaur's head. His opponent, however, didn't seem fazed by it.

Kelt just eyed the human mockingly. "You surely got the guts, human. Normally, people like you would have cowered before me from fear at this close distance but I guess it'll take more than simple intimidation to bring you down my knees."

"Kelt, I am warning you. You do not want to be on this human's bad side." Jojo stared calmly. He was already used to this kind of behavior coming from the centaur.

"More like his bitch' side-Gah!" Just as Kelt said that, Argus sprinted forward and gave him a powerful low kick at his legs' knees with such amazing speed that the centaur hadn't time to simply move away.

Kelt stumbled over as he felt his legs incapacitated and groaned in pain the same time as he felt a blade sticking closely to his neck. He whirled his head a bit only to see the emotionless and penetrating yellow eyes of the human who just happened to knock him down in mere seconds.

"I will only say this once, so listen very carefully. Never, absolutely never underestimate me. I've trained my profession in so many ways that I have counted exactly 57 versions of how to kill you right now." Argus saw the centaur's eyes widen. "But I won't do that in respect to the owner of this place, although I expect a more polite behavior from you after this event. Did I make myself clear?"

Kelt didn't respond.

"DID I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

"Crystal!"

"Good." The human took his one of his daggers from the centaur's neck and reattached it to his leather chest armor. As soon as he did that, he looked at the poor sod one more time. "If I still have my knowledge about horses, your incapacitation should be healed in about half an hour. I suggest you use the time to rethink about your whole superiority." And with that, both companions continued their way further into the farm.

When they were out of Kelt's earshot, Jojo smiled brightly at Argus. "Wow, I never thought I would see the day Kelt being defeated with such humiliation. And considering his reputation around the farm, I am sure your service back there will be greatly by everyone."

The human scowled. "If that guy has been like that since the day he started working here, then I say he had it coming." Then he asked. "So, you are a regular around this place? From the information you have given about it, it is as if you have come here quite a few times."

"Oh yes, I come here to aid Whitney on her work a few times around the week. Something to do other than meditate and exercise on the forest actually. And it has been like that since a year ago when I first came here looking for supplies, so she and I made a deal. I work for her three times a week and she shares a bit of her food with me." The mouse explained.

"Except the peppers?"

"Except the peppers."

Minutes later, they arrived the house where Whitney lived. The house is one and one-half stories tall, with ells at the rear and west sides. The main block faces south with the primary ridge parallel with the façade. The structure rests on a granite foundation and is post and beam frame. Siding is wood clapboard; trim is simple, square stock. The west ell features a porch with turned posts, square balusters and sawn brackets at the posts. The large windows have a two over two sash. About 250 meters away to the northwest of it, there was the barn. It's made of timber frame structure, with all of its timbers, braces and lumber cut with a circular saw, and with a gambrel roof style as finish touch.

Next to the door front was the dog-morph who was sweeping the floor with a broom. She was about 1,74 meters tall, her fur as yellow as the sun above them. She had shoulder-length blonde straight hair and a doggy tail of same shape and color and she was wearing what one would expect from a farmer: a bluish overall covering her fur and a brown hat, though no shoes were visible. It seemed the creatures of this world don't have a worry about that type of vestment.

"Hey Whitney!" Jojo greeted. A beat later, Whitney stopped what she was doing and turned to face both of them.

"Oh Jojo, I thought your shift only started tomorrow." She walked down the stairs of the house and gave a handshake. It was only then that she turned her attention to Argus. "Who is your friend?"

"This is Argus, someone who came from the Human World recently. Argus, this is Whitney, the owner of this farm."

The human bowed his head. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss."

Whitney flushed a little at how the man seemed so polite despite the intimidating appearance he had. "L-likewise, Mr. Argus. I take it you were the one responsible for putting Kelt on his place?"

Argus frowned. "You heard our little quarrel?" His query only made the farm girl giggle.

"Those pretty ears can hear everything that happens around this farm. Comes with practice. Anyway, I think I should thank you for that. Although Kelt has helped me in defending the farm from the demons, he has been a torn to everyone around here. Only myself and Marble are able to correct his behavior time after time."

"Who is Marble?" Argus asked.

"She is a Lacta Bovine, a cow-girl in another words, who lives here too. She has a good soul and has helped me several times whenever I felt tired doing my work." Jojo replied.

Argus span in disbelief at the notion of another anthropomorphic animal. _Just how many types are out there?_

"I…see." He stammered.

"So, what is the occasion for your visit today, Jojo?" Whitney asked, already curious.

The mouse quickly changed his expression to a more serious one. "Whitney, you know I am not one to ask favors, but I feel compelled to do so at this time. Argus and I are going on a journey to Tel'Adre and we may need some supplies to survive the travel."

"Oh, is there something you need to do there?" She asked.

"Yes. We are going there to gather information about the demons which will possibly help on our way to defeat them. Argus is a Champion, you see…"

"A Champion!? Really?" The girl's blue eyes brightened so much that Argus flinched back a bit out of surprise.

"Y-yes." He managed to stammer yet again.

"Then please, ask away what you need. You have no idea what we have been going through the last few weeks with the increasing comings of those bastards. I'll do whatever I can to help you guys out."

Jojo scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. He wasn't used to ask for this kind of help. "Well, you will need as much food as you can provide, but please just not the peppers." The girl nodded fully knowing why. "We will need some camp equipment like tents to spend the nights on our way there. And, if it is okay with you, we will need to rest for today before we can depart tomorrow morning."

"Sure. You can have the guest room if you need to sleep. I'll have Marble bring some of our food for your journey." Whitney said enthusiastically.

Jojo bowed his head in appreciation and same went for Argus. "Thank you, Whitney. I will look for a way to repay you someday."

"Nonsense. I'm just glad I'm able to help you out. So without further ado, I'll guide you to the room." With that, Whitney opened the door to her house and let her guests enter.


End file.
